Dental impression form



NOV. 6 1934. s R. SALVIQ 1,979,493

' DENTAL IMPRESSION FORM Filed Nov. 15, 1930 INVENTOR .1 6

0? l8. JAL V/O BY i111)" ATTORNEYJ Patented Nov. 6, 1934 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates .to improvements in dental impression forms, andhas more particular relation to improvements in forms for holdingplastic substances, such as beeswax, for tak- 'ing impressions from theteeth of patients for subsequent making of moulded forms from theseimpressions.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple and cheap Waxholder that may be applied to a patients mouth, to receive the bite fromhis teeth, without fear of injury to the gums or to the roof of themouth, or the tongue.

A further object of l the invention is to provide and impression waxholder provided with a separator for the teeth of the upper and lowerjaws and which separator will also receive and retain the impression ofthe teeth.

A further object of the invention is to provide 'an impression waxholder, the impressed por tion of which may be removed from the holderafter each impression and a furtherimpression portion substituted.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an impression waxholder that may be knocked down or normally retained in a perfectly fiatcondition. l

The invention also has further objects, all of which will be hereinaftermore particularly set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming part 0 this specification: v

. Figure 1 represents a perspective view partly in vertical section ofone of my improved holders 1 with the impressed wax therein.

9 Figure 2 represents a perspective view of the holder shownin Figure 1-before the wax has been applied thereto. v

Figure 3 represents a perspective view of the i wax holder in itsknocked down condition.

Figure 4 represents a perspective View of a modified form of impressionwax holder made entirely of metal.

Figure 5 represents a perspective view'of another modified form of myimproved impression wax holder, employing a removableseparator.

Figure 6 represents a perspective view similar to Figure 5 except thatwire gauze is employed instead of sheet metal.

Figure 7 represents a detailed vertical section through one of the waxretaining plates showing the method of attachment of the metalseparator, and,

Figure 8 represents a perspective view of the devices embodying myinvention applied to a form or mould for securing the impressions for.the complete upper and lower set of teeth.

. Described in general terms, it has heretofore been the practice insecuring the impression. from a patients teeth to place beeswax or othersoft plastic substances in a holder comprising two side plates andthreads connecting these plates at their middles, so that when wax isplaced about the threads and between the plates thev patient may bite"down on the wax from both above and below and the threads will preventthe side plates from spreading and will hold the wax to make a perfectimpression of the entire outer contours of the teeth.

With this type of holder for the impression on wax, however, thepatient, upon making a bite wouldforce all of the wax out from betweenhis upper and lower set of teeth, and would leave apertures or holes inthe wax between the upper and lower impressions, so that when plaster ofParis was run into the moulds afterwards this moulding material wouldrun through these apertures into the adjoining lower impression andspoil the same.

Further the impression of the bite of the teeth between the biting endsof the teeth would be distorted-and a true impression could not besecured at this point. I

, It is one of the applicants present intentions to not only prevent thebite of the patient on the wax from meeting and making holes in the wax,but to provide means for retaining an accurate impression of thecontacting portions of the teeth of the upper and lower jaw.

To this end the invention consists as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 ofside plates, formed of cardboard or other light flexible material whichmay be easily cut or trimmed to fit into and about the gums of differentpatients. These side plates 1 are connected longitudinally along theirmiddle lines with a very thin copper plate 2, about 1/1000t inthickness. This plate, as best shown in Figure '7 has downwardly andupwardly turned flanges 3 and 4. The stitches 5, .either of thread orwire are passed through the plates 1 and through the flange 3; theflange 4 being afterwards doubled up over the threads to provide asmooth surface at this point. This securing of the thin copper plate 2to the plates 1, is for the purpose of preventing the plates 1 frombeing forced away from each other when the soft wax is placed about theupper and lower channels and impressed by the patient biting down uponthe wax in these channels. As the wax is forced laterally by thepatients teeth it impacts against the plates 1 and is forced upwardtowards the patients gums and is held so rigidly against lateralexpansion as to take a complete impression of the entire length of thepatients teeth. Further, as the patient continues his bite the upper andlower teeth contact with the thin copper plate 2 and this plate beingvery flexible because of its thinness receives the exact impression ofthe biting ends of the teeth, but the copper is tough enough to preventthe teeth biting entirely through. A mould is thus left not only of thesides of the teeth, but also of the ends of the teeth. This isparticularly desirable in the larger teeth such as. the molars, and byreference to Figure 1 the indentation of the plate 2 can be plainlyseen.

As the patients teeth cannot at any time form holes in the plate 2, itwillbe-seen that when the mould is completed that while the patientsteeth have practically met, the thin copper sheet was interposed toreceive the exact impression and to prevent the formation of any holessuch as the wax alone would have developed. The plates 1, 1, are farenough apart so that the curvature of the bite of any portion of thepatients jaw is taken care of without the plates 1, 1, being curved, butif desired these plates may be curved to fit different portions of thejaw as shown in Figure 1.

In applying the beeswax to the holders it is first slightly heated tomake it soft and then wound about the upper and lower channels in onecontinuous loop. When the patient bites down upon the mould it thereuponassumes the form shown in Figure 1. If the bite secured is longer thanthe length of the plates 1, then in this event the wax mould whichextends slightly beyond the plate 2 at each end will still not haveholes in it where the teeth come together, as the interposition of theplate 2 prevents the teeth at each end of the plate from entirelymeeting and thus leaves a thin film of wax so that this part of themould, as well as the mould that is directly upon the plate 2, is alsoavailable for taking impressions.

In the modified form of my device shown in Figure 4, the entireimpression holder is formed of a single sheet of metal of the propergauge which is doubled upon itself in the manner shown, so as to formnot only theplate 2 but both of the end plates 1. It will be seen thatthe sheet of metal is doubled back on itself to make a. three-plythickness at the middle so as to provide sufiicient rigidity to hold theside plates in position while still leaving the gage of the plate 2proper for receiving impressions that can be made with the ordinary biteof the patient.

In the modified form of my invention shown in Figure 5 I provide rigidaluminum side plates 6. These are formed with longitudinal slots 7 and ametal impression plate 8. Each side edge of the thin copper plate 8 isrolled into a small tube 9 which may be passed through its respectiveslot 7 and the whole secured together by a longitudinal wire 10 whichmay be slipped through the tube 9; and is of suflicient length toproject beyond the slots '7 and hold the plate 6 against lateralmovement when the bite is being made.

The particular utility of this form of device is that if the patient hasmade a bite on to the plate 8 and the wax, the pins l01may be with.-drawn and the side plates 6 drawn off laterally leaving the waximpression with the plate 6 im bedded therein.

With this type of device a separate plate 8 may be used for eachimpression without throwing away the side plates 6, 6 as is necessary inthe other cardboard form of the device.

In Figure 6, which is another modified form of my invention, theconstruction is practically the same as in Figure 5 except that insteadof a solid. copper plate 8, a wire gauze plate 11 is employed. Theattachment of this plate to the aluminum sides 12 being substantiallythe same as shown in Figure 5.

In the further modified form of my invention shown in Figure 8, Iprovide a mould holder for securing. the impression from the entireupper and lower set of teeth or the gums if necessary; In this form thepalate piece 13 is connected to the horse-shoe shape gum piece 14 by aflexible copper plate 15 which is stitched to the parts 13 and 14 justas it is stitched to the plates 1, 1. A suitable handle 16 is providedfor inserting the device into the mouth. The impression is taken. inpractically the same way in this device as it is. in other modifiedforms of the invention.

As the bulk of devices of this kind, in being shipped from the place ofmanufacture about the country would be so great, the devices are packedflat in boxes in the position shown in Figure 3, which I have termed theknock down position. Such position is permitted because the widths ofthe side plates 1, 1 are such that when the flexible copper 2 is bent asshown, the adjoining edges of the plates 1, 1 lie approximatelytogether.

It will be understood that I can substitute for the metal plates 2, anyform of material that is susceptible of being impressed withoutpermitting the bite to entirely pass through.

It will be understood that in view of the peculiar collapsible featureof the invention, as best shown in Figure 3, that long strips collapsedin this way, may be provided and the dentist in using them may cut offthe right length of the strip-with the scissors, as the card board andthin copper can easily be cut with ordinary shears. Thus the dentist canget the exact length that he wishes for the particular imprint that hewishes to obtain.

It will be understood that the side plates as shown in Figures 1, 2 and3 may be removed after the impression has been taken by simply cuttingthe side stitches with a sharp instrument. In some instances this isdesirable.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an impression holder the combination with flexible side plates forreceiving the impression material of an impression plate connecting themiddles-of the side plates and stitching for securing the edges of theimpression plate to the side plates.

2. In an impression holder the combination with fiexible side plates forreceiving the impression material of an impression wall for connectingthe side plates longitudinally to sepa rate the impression material.into upper and lower bites and stitching for securing the edges of theimpression wall to the side plates.

3. An impression holder comprising spaced side plates for holdingmaterial for taking'meeting impressions of the upperand lower sets ofteeth, a thin impression retaining metal plate,

said plate constituting the sole connecting means of the side plates andadapted to be deformed by the teeth in taking an impression and toretain such deformation.

4. An impression holder comprising spaced side plates for holdingmaterial for taking meeting impressions of the upper and lower sets ofteeth, a flexible impression retaining gauze wall;

said wall constituting the sole connecting means of the side plates andadapted to be deformed by the teeth in taking an impression and toretain such deformation.

SALVATORE R. SALVIO.

